Method of and apparatus for making ferrules



w. M. BROWN.

Patented Feb. 1T, 1920.

WILLIAM MILTON BROWN, OF JOI-INSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD F AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING- FERRULES.

To all whom it may concern; 1

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MILTON BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and

resident of Johnstown, in the -countyof Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methodsl of and Apparatus for Making Ferrules, of which the follow-ing is a speci- My invention relates to the lmanufacture l of ferrules and similar annulil vfrom thin, fiat metal strips or blanks One object of this invention is to provide a novel method of making ferrules havinga longitudinal seam with the contiguous sur` 1 faces of the seam in closecontact.

l Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method employing a series of successive cold bending steps whereby the thin, liat blanks are easily and quickly bent, in a progressive manner to form ferrules which are cylindrical lin cross section, without the aid of 'a mandrel or nternal support.

A further object of the invention is the provision 0f novel means whereby the successive cold bending steps are effected in producing cylindrical ferrules from iat and thin metal blanks without the use of an internal support or mandrel.

A 'still further Object of my invention is the provision of bending dies having the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, shown in thel drawings and to be describedl in detail herein-- after, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of a flat metal strip orlblank as out to width preparatory to making a ferrule in accordance with my invention. i

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation showing the blank of Fig. 1, with one edge thereof 'as bent or shaped at the completion of the irst step of the series of bending operations forming part of my invention.

Fi 3 is a sectional elevation of the blank showing the blank at the completion of the second bending step of the method forming part of this invention.

Fig. l is a sectional end elevation showingthe blanks at the completion of the third bending step of my improved method.

specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Application led September 5, 1918. Serial No. 252,691.

Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation of the with my invention.

.F ig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing one arrangement of vbending dies constructed 'and arranged 1n accordance with my invention, with the dies in closed position, as4 at the end of the first and second of the series of forming steps Fig. 8 is a sectiona'lelevation, similar= to kFig.l 7, showing the dies in open position,

ierrule forming operation.

Fig.- 9 is a sectional elevation showing the dies in closed position with the partly.

formed blank between the dies at the completion of the third forming Operation.

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan similar to Figs. I I

8 and 9, showing the dies in open position at the commencement ofi-the fourth forming operation.

Fig. 1,1 is a, sectional elevation showing the dies in closed position with the completed ferrule positioned between the dies as at the end of the fourth and in'al forming operation.

In the accompanying ldrawings, the numeral 2 designates the stationary bottom dieblock, and 3 the vertically movable, re

ciprocatory top die block of a bending machine or press, a steam hammer, or similar apparatus, having opposed die faces. As will be seen by reference to Figs. 7 to 11, the opposed die blocks are provided with registering` cavities and projections on the opposite workingfaces thereof embodying my invention.

The working face of the bottom die 2 is provided with a depression 4 having an open side and having an opposite side surface forming a shoulderor Jog 5. The depression 4 extends across the face of the die 2 from one side surface to the other and its bottom 6 is curved transversely so 'as to bend the blank for a short distance inward from one longitudinal edge when the blank A is positioned in the depression, and the top die 8 is moved into its closed position (that as shown in Fig. 3). The face of the top die 3 opposite the depression 4 is prosoy depression el and is vided with a transversely curved projection 7, so that when the blank A is inserted in the alined therein by engagement with the jog 5, the blank of Fig. 1 will be curved to the contour shown in Fig. 2. The blank A after one edge has been bent in this manner, is turned end for end and thereby reversed and the opposite edge is placed in the depression 4, with the u nbent edge thereof in engagement with the jog or shoulder 5 so as to again aline the blank.

The top die 3 is then moved downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 7 and the blank is thereby bent or formed to the contour or cross-section shown in Fig. 3.

The bottom die 2 is also provided 'with a depression 8 in its upper face having an open side and having a side surface form- .ing a shoulder or jog 9 as is clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The depression has a transverse recess '10 between its ends, this recess having a semi-circular bottom 11 which connects two vertical side walls 12, 12 that tangent with the semi-circular bottom.

V425--The vertical side walls 12, 12 are carefully die when the top die is in closed position.

The side walls 15, 15 vof the projection are not parallel but converge upwardly toward the body of the top die, to provide the necessary clearance for the bent ends of the partly formed blanks, a purpose which will be made clear by reference to Fig. 9. The

thickness of the upwardly converging projection is made such as will spring the bent edges lof the partly formed blank outwardly when the top die is moved into closed position as shown in Fig, 9, so that when the blank is removed from between the dies at the ncompletion of this step of the forming operation, the edges of the blank will spring back and have the contour shown in Fig. 4.

The bottom die 2 is also provided with av semi-circular recess 16 which extends across the working face from one side to the other.,

of the die, and the top die 3 is provided with a similar semiecircular recess 17 which registers with the recess 16 of the bottom die, as is clearly shown in the drawings. The semi-circular recesses 16 and 17 are arranged to form a true circle when the top die 3 is moved downwardly to bring the dies into closed position, or that shown in Fig. 11.

While readily understood from tlie preceding description, the method of forming the-blanks, forming 'part of this invention will now be described.

Thin, flat metal strips of the desired thickness will be cut to the proper width and length, the .so-formed blanks being rectangular in cross section, as shown inFig. '1. A blank A which has been made in this manner is then placed in the depression 4 in the upper face of the bottom die 2 with one edge in engagement with the shoulder or jog 5 at the closed side of this depression. The top die 3 is then caused to descend and engage with the portion of the blank immediately above the depression, the transversely curved projection 7 on the working face of the top die 3 forcing the edge of the plate into t-he depression and bending this edge of the plate until the blank is formed to the cross section of Fig. 2.

The blank is then reversed and' this operation is repeated on the other edge of the blank, a blank having the cross section of Fig. 3 resulting from the action of the dies in this second forming step.

The blank of Fig. 3 is then positioned in the depression 8 on the top face of the bottom die with one bent edge thereof in engagement with the shoulder or jog 9 'on the bottom die, this operation alining the blank with respect to the recess 10 in lthe working face of the bottom die. then caused to descend and in moving down? wardly the projection 13 on the top die engages with the blank and forces it into the recess 10 in theupper face of ythe bottom die and bends the blank to the contour shown in Fig. 9'. Theportions of the blank extending above the upper face of the depressionS in the bottom die having been bent in the preliminary forming operation, and not being confined by the side walls of the recess 10 in the bottom die, will spring outwardly and being resilient will not be given a permanent set. This results in the edges of the blank springing inwardly and the blank assuming the contour shown in Fig. 4 when removed from the recess 10 after the completion of this bending step or operation.

The blank is then positioned within the semi-circular recess 16 in the upper face of the bottom die, preferably in the position shown in Fig. 10, with the open side of the upper formed blank located to engage with the surface of the semi-circular recess in the top die. The dies are then caused to approach and in approaching the blank of Fig. 4 is bent into the truly cylindrical form shown in Figs. 5 and 11, this operation completing the ferrule and forming a cylindrical ferrule like that shown in Fig. 7 with the edges or side surfaces of the seam in close contact.

In this way cylindrical or tubular fer- The top die 3 is rules and similar articles are easily and cheaply formed with a seam of suflicient tightness to resist leakage, experiments having shown that upon plugging onelend of a ferrule made in accordance With my invenl less tubing heretofore used in coring holesv in manganese steel castings, such as frogs and switches.

Many modifications in the apparatus applicable for use in. carrying out the steps of the method forming part of this invention, may be made Without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

While the die cavities and projections, as shown, are integrally formed on the bottom die block 'and opposite, reciprocatory top ldie block, it will be obvious that a series of pairs of forming dies may be employed having opposed forming faces by which a single forming operation is performed in lieu of the dies shown.

l. In the manufacture lof annular metal ferrules and the like, the successive steps which consist in first bending the longitudinaledges 'of a flat metal blank transversely, to thereby partly shape the blank to the desired curvature, then bending the partly shaped blank transversely adjacent to its medial line, to thereby further shape the blank, and then bending the blank to kcomplete the shaping operation and forcing the bent longitudinal edges of the partly shaped blank into close contact at the beginning of the last bending operation to thereby force vthe flat unbent portions of the blank outwardly and complete the shaping of the annular ferrule.

2. In the manufacture of annular metal ferrules and the like, the successive steps which consist in first bending one longitudinal edge and then bending the opposite longitudinal edge of a flat metal blank transversely to partly shape the blank to the desired curvature, then bending the partly sha ed blank transversely adjacent to its me ial line t0 further shape the blank, and then further bending the blank to complete the shaping operation and forcing the bent longitudinal edges of the blank into close contact at the beginning of this bending operation to thereby force the fiat unbent portions of the blank outwardly and coinplete the shaping of the annular ferrule.

3. Apparatus for .making ferrules comprising relatively reciprocating dies having opposite die faces, said die faces having face portions' arranged to preliminarily bend the ferrule blanks adjacent to the longitudinal edges thereof, and having a recess in one and a projecting tongue on theother die coacting to form a U-shaped slot transversely adiacenti' to the longitudinal center of the blanks, a yshoulder .fon the and arranged to further bend the blanks y die faces having `other semi-circular face portions adapted to further bend the blanks and thereby complete theferrules. l

4. Apparatus for making ferrules com-fI prising relatively reciprocating dies'having opposlte die faces, said die faces having face portionsarranged to preliminarily vbend the ferrule blanks adjacent to the longitudinal edges thereof, and having/ a recess inA e on the other die one and a projecting ton coacting to form av U- aped slot and ar-4 ranged'. tofurther bend the blanks trans versely adjacent to the longitudinal ,center of the blanks, said tongue being arranged t0 spring the edges of the blanks outwardly in bending the blanks, and said die faces havingv otherv semi-circular face portions adapted to further bend the blanks and thereby complete the ferrules.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM MILTON BROWN. 

